Empowering South African Youth Through Education

Saturdays are definitely my favorite days here at The Umkhumbane Schools Project, as that is when we host our lively and focused crowd of determined math learners.  By 9:45 AM the learners from all five of our schools begin congregating outside of the community library where we meet, some of them having walked 30 minutes to get there.  For those of you  who have never visited, it might be hard to imagine that a math class could be such a welcoming, fun, and energised event!

Thanks to our GlobalGiving donors, this year's Saturday Math classes are well underway, with attendance of approximately 80 Grade 11th-graders each week.  We do things a bit differently from what the learners are accustomed to in school.  For one thing, every learner works in a group of about 14 young people, with each group mentored by one of our amazing Math Mentors.  These devoted and inspiring mentors are all students at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, each of them motivated by a heartfelt desire to give back and make a difference in a younger scholar's life.  Each mentor captains a group, teaching them, motivating them, pushing them to be the best students they can be.  

Learning in this space is fun, as we work to give each young person the agency to solve problems and become his or her own best teacher.  We minimize lecturing at the blackboard, and instead have the mentors work closely with their groups, encouraging learners' independence of thought and giving them the freedom to ask questions.

Why the focus on mathematics?  Because in the 21st century mathematical competency is truly a global development issue, a civil rights issue, even a human rights issue  --  when so many areas of employment and technical competency either begin or end with a young person's learning in math.  To stand by and watch whole populations of economically disadvantaged youth remain excluded from success in this vital area of human learning and leadership is to abdicate our responsibility to advance a just, sustainable, global future.  Thanks to your help, we are making a small difference.

This Saturday, wherever you are, you can think of our bustling hive of mathematics learners upstairs at the Umkhumbane Community Library.  They will be engaged, inquisitive, and at times...noisy!  A good sign that they are having fun!

From all of us at The Umkhumbane Schools Project, Thank You!